Bruchac, Joseph: Rez Dogs

Renowned author Joseph Bruchac tells a powerful story of a girl who learns more about her Penacook heritage while sheltering in place with her grandparents during the coronavirus pandemic.

Malian loves spending time with her grandparents at their home on a Wabanaki reservation—she’s there for a visit when, suddenly, all travel shuts down. There’s a new virus making people sick, and Malian will have to stay with her grandparents for the duration.
Everyone is worried about the pandemic, but Malian knows how to keep her family safe: She protects her grandparents, and they protect her. She doesn’t go out to play with friends, she helps her grandparents use video chat, and she listens to and learns from their stories. And when Malsum, one of the dogs living on the rez, shows up at their door, Malian’s family knows that he’ll protect them too.
Told in verse inspired by oral storytelling, this novel about the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the ways in which Indigenous nations and communities cared for one another through plagues of the past, and how they keep caring for one another today.

**Four starred reviews!**
Boston Globe-Horn Book Fiction & Poetry Honor
NPR Books We Love
Kirkus Reviews Best Books
School Library Journal Best Books
Chicago Public Library Best Fiction for Younger Readers
Jane Addams Children’s Book Award Finalist
Nerdy Book Club Award—Best Poetry and Novels in VersePraise for Rez Dogs

Kirkus Reviews Best Books
School Library Journal Best Books 
NPR Books We Love
Nerdy Book Club Award—Best Poetry and Novels in Verse
Chicago Public Library Best Fiction for Younger Readers 
Jane Addams Children’s Book Award Finalist
NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books
Just One More Page Reading List (Wisconsin)

★ “Hidden throughout this moving novel in verse, old stories are discovered like buried treasures.”—Kirkus, starred review

★ “Bruchac intricately interweaves past and present stories . . . in this rewarding intergenerational narrative.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "Deftly handles weighty issues and provides readers a story they can connect with . . . [A] dose of hope for the future."—School Library Journal, starred review

★ “Story telling is an important part of culture, and Bruchac is a masterful storyteller who weaves culture with narrative."—School Library Connection, starred review

“With this gentle book, Bruchac offers children another story to expand their worlds and hearts.”—Booklist

“A gentle book about family and history.”—Betsy Bird for A Fuse #8 Production/SLJ

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